Semi-automatic wrapping machine



June 14, 1960 .1. D. CONTI SEMI-AUTOMATIC WRAPPING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 17, 1956 JOI June 14, 1960 J. D. coNTl SEMI-AUTOMATIC WRAPPING MACHINE 6 SheetS-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 17, 1956 lllllllllllll|lll||||lN l l I I l I I l l l I l l June 14, 1960 J. D. coN-n SEMI-AUTOMATIC WRAPPING MACHINE 6 Sheets-$heet 3 Filed Sept. 17, 1956 June 14, 1960 J. D. coN'rl 2,940,236

SEMI-AUTOMATIC WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Sept. 17, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 June 14,'1960 J. D. CON-r1 SEMI-AUTOMATIC wRAPPING MACHINE:

6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 17, 1956 June 14, 1960 J. D. CONTI 2,940,236

SEMI-AUTOMATIC WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Sept. 17, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 v x l 257 l .vv 1.! I d United States Patent 't 2,940,236 SEMI-AUTOMATIC WRAPPING MACHINE John D. Conti, Elkins Park, Pa., assigner to American Viscose Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 17, 1956, Ser. No. 610,350 16 Claims. (Cl. 53-379) The invention relates to package wrapping, and particularly to wrapping of irregular shaped articles or packages.

ln wrapping articles with sheet materials, efforts have been primarily directed to the wrapping of articles or packages which are somewhat flexible or plastic and can be easily made to conform to a desired shape, or to articles each having a definite and fixed regular shape. In the first instance, it can be considered that the article or package is deformed or molded by the Wrapper material into a desired configuration, while in the latter case the sheet material wrapper actually assumes the shape of the article being wrapped. Thus, the known and conventional equipment utilized to accomplish the above noted wrapping procedures are designed, in general, to provide a series of wrapped packages having the same shape, either by deforming the article or by starting with a package having a fixed regular shape. In view of the intended functions of these conventional wrapping systems, their use has not been satisfactory with articles having shapes which are not adapted nor intended to be deformed, since considerable and frequent individual adjustment would be involved for each wrapping operation. Furthermore, with the conventional machines, the wrapper would more than likely assume the appearance of a loose fitting bag around an irregular article rather than a snug fitting cover which presents a neat appearance. It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a new or generally improved and more satisfactory article wrapping apparatus.

Another object is to provide an apparatus capable of applying a sheet material wrapper snugly about an irregular shaped article, with the wrapper end portions neatly folded to substantially conform with article itself.

Still another object is the provision of a wrapping apparatus in which a sheet material is disposed about an irregularly shaped article, tucked at its ends to form pleats which are gripped and made to snugly conform with the article itself, folded, and sealed.

A further object is to provide a wrapping apparatus having improved package end folding means in which the end portions of a sheet material disposed about an irregularly shaped package are pleated, made to snugly embrace the package, folded, and sealed. l

A still further object is to provide an article wrapping apparatus which is relatively simple in construction, can be easily and safely operated, and perform its package Wrapping and delivery functions in a rapid and substantially automatic manner.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l is a plan view of the apparatus of the present invention; A

Figure 2 is a View similar to Figure l illustrating a portion of the apparatus on an enlarged scale;

Figure 3 is a front view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Figure l;

Figure 4 is a right side view of the structure shown in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the table elevating mechanism of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a detail section illustrating the wrapper gripping means;

Figure 7 is a perspective View of a portion of the'apparatus showing the relative locations of the various parts at the start of operation;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 showing the first wrapping stage with the wrapper grippers advanced into an inward position after which the wrapper itself is manually placed about the package as shown;

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figures 7 and 8 showing the second wrapping stage with the tuckers pleating the wrapper material at the package corners; and 4f Figure 10 is a view similar to Figures 7-9 showing the folder plates depressed against the pleated end portions of the wrapper material. p

Generally, the invention relates to an apparatus for wrapping articles or packages either of regular or irv regular shape. The article is first placed on a sheet of wrapping material, the front and rear ends of which are subsequently overlapped manually to form a flattened tube about the article. The remainder of the article wrapping is accomplished in a substantially automatic manner by passing the same through threeV wrapping stages. During the first stage, a pair of gripping fingers are swung inwardly toward the article adjacent each of its corners, with the fingers assuming a spaced apart position after moving beyond the ends of the wrapper. At this point, the wrapping material is shaped into a tube as noted above. The second wrapping stage, effects the pleating of the wrapper at the article corners by snap acting tuckers, each of which swing inwardlybetween each pair of gripping fingers. As the tuckers return toward their rest position, the gripping fingers are all urged toward each other to pinch the pleated y portions of the wrapper therebetween, and folder plates are urged downwardly, toward the end portions of the packagef Just prior to engagement of the end folder plates with the package wrapper, the gripping fingers are removed to their rest position, and at the instant that the folder plates engage the wrapper, the wrapping table, on which the article is disposed, is rapidly lowered to provide a neat crease along the package sides. The final stage of wrapping merely requires the operator to slide the package off the wrapping table onto a conveying means where wrapper sealing is accomplished, and to actuate the apparatus to return the parts thereof to their initial position.

With reference to the drawings, the apparatus is-pro-V vided with a main or supporting framework including a horizontally disposed panel 15 supported in an elevated position by legs 17, with suitable reinforcing members, such as indicated at 19 being provided to form a rigid structure. At the forward end of the apparatus, a U.- shaped platform 21, having laterally spaced legs 23 (see Figures l and 2), is disposed above the panel 15 and s supported in an elevated position by a pair of laterally spaced angulated members 25 each having a vertical wail 27 and an inclined wall 29, the latter of which merges with the vertical wall as shown at 31. Additional struts, such as shown at 33, may be employed to rigidly secure the platform 21 in position. Preferably, the platform 21. is located at approximately a waist high position and is shaped at its forward end as shown at 3S to enable the operator to observe and perform the necessary operations with ease, as hereinafter described.

A wrapping table 37 (see Figure 5) is disposed bebythe operator.

clutch plate 81 is transmitted directly to the shaft 55,r a l'to 3 ratio is providedl between the sprockets 61 and .V67 so that the shaft l55 moves through one-third of a revolution with each rotation of the clutch'plate 81 Vand Y fweentherlegs 23 Vtif-.theV platform 21 and is provided on its undersurface With a pair of laterally spaced rack bars 39 which project downwardly through suitable openings in the-.panel and mesh with the pinion gearsY 41 xed to thel opposite ends of a shaft 43. A 'lf'l'ie shaft 43 is rotatably supportedV below the panel 15 by angle brackets 45 fixed, as by screws 47, to the underside of the panel. Guide rollers 49are rotatably mounted on the angle brackets 45for maintaining the rack bars 39 engaged with` their respective pinioris 471, and in addition serve to guide the rack bars along their vertical travel, in the startingV or normal position, the wrapping table 37 ylies inthe horizontal plane of the; platform 21 under'the action of coiled compression springs 51 which encircle the n Yrackbars 39 and are interposed between the panel 15 and load distributing plates V53. 'i

V". lri Wrapping articleswith .they apparatus of the present invention,fthe,"articleI is Yfirst, placed :upon Va sheetVV ofY wrapping .materialV 54,v suchfascellophane,'laid hat on'the table 3,7,.1The oppsite ends'of the wrapper are then overlapped and sealed tovforin a flattened tube about the article as seen lin'Figure 8. Y'The side portions of the Awrappingmateiial are then manipulated by a pair of tuckers,

gripper's, andrfolder plates to complete thef article Wrapping., Y I Y The'opera'tion of the ers, grippers, and folder plates iisffac'complished automatically and in a desired sequence byaseries Vof plate carns fixed to a shaft' 55 which is rotatably supported at its opposite ends by brackets 57, Securedat 59 to the panel 15. A sprocket 61 is xed to theshaft 55 and is driven by a link chain 63, which in v turn Vengages over a sprocket 67 of a conventional'onerevolution clutch carried by a shaft 69, and generally indicatedrby the reference numeral 71. The shaft 69 is suspended from the panel 15 by brackets 73 and, during operationof the apparatus, is continuously rotated by a motor l75 acting through a speed reducer 77 .and a link chain79. The sprocket 67 is formed as an integral part Y of'a clutchplate 81 which is freely rotatable on a shaft 69 and isnormally Vmaintained in a stationary position by aplunger 83.- As shown in Figure 4, a spring 85 resiliently-v urges the plunger 83 into a notch 87 formed inV Vthe periphery of the `clutch plate 81.Y A solenoid '89,

supported from the underside ofthe panel 15 by the bracket 91, serves to retract the plunger 83 when energized throughV wires 93, which are electrically connected to a suitable electrical source Vand .a switch V95 (see Figure` 1)'. 41A second switch97 is provided forv starting the motor 75. e i

`Asniore fully explained hereinafter, the clutch plate 81 is caused to rotate'through three complete revolutions during vthe wrapping lof each article, with the revolutions each taking la place at selected intervals as determined Since the rotaryY movement Vof the at all times assumes the same starting position after the Wrapping of each article.

' During-the first onethird revolution of the shaft 575, a plate cam 99 athxed theretocauses the grippers; gen'- erally indicated at 101, to rotate from their position shown in Figure 7 to a position between the edge portions of the wrapper 54 asyshorwnin Figure 8. Each of the Ygrippers 101 includesa'pairof sheet metal fingers or VVfinger elements 103 and-105, each being secured at one end to the upper ends of rack bars 107'and 109, respectively. The rack barsH 107 and 109 of each ofthe grippers project downwardlyl through suitable `openings Vin jthe," platform 21 and are received within tubular housings 111, Vwhich in turn` areV rotatable with stub shafts 113 passing through the panel v15 and engaging with xed bearing plates 115. As more f ullydescribed hereinafter,

the rack bars 107 and 109 of each of the grippers mesh with similar bevel gears V12?: secured to the outer ends of the shafts '125 and 127, rotatably supported below the panel'lS by the bearing blocks- 1295,' 4 'f I As best seen in Figure 3, rotary movement is imparted to the shaft 125 through a link 131 and' a bell crank lever 133, thevlatter dof which `isQtiXed to ai'shaft 13,5 rotatably supported by brackets 57. Onegarm of the bell crank lever 133 is piv'otally connected Lat 137' to the bifurcated end of the link 131 which has its opposite end Y fixed to the shaft 125, while the other arm Yof the lever 133 carries a roller 139'Which rides along the eccentric l periphery of the plate Vcam 99.7.Thefshafts 125 and 27 are interconnected by a shaft 141 and meshing bevel gears 143 and145 (see FigureZ), andthus the grippers 101 all move in unison toward and away from their positions YshownY in vFigure 8 in accordance with the rocking movement of the bell crank lever 133. Y l

In Figure 6, there is .disclosed one of 'the'grippers 101, which at the start of its operation has Vits lingers'r103 and 105 in positions as shown by broken lines. A spring 147 constantly urges the finger 103 in an upward direction,V and is connected at one end to the pin.149xed to the housing lll while its opposite end engages over a pin 151 passing through an elongated slot 152 in the housing 111 and iixedto the rack bar 107. ,AsV the shaft 113 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in VFigure 6, a roller 153, rotatably carried by a pin 155,*rides along an annular cam surface 157, thereby causing the rack bar 109 to move into its lowermost position; This `movement of the rack bar 109, rotates theY pinion t117 which in turn elevates the rack bar V107. Since the edge portions of thewrappingmaterial 54 may at times develop a curl', the cam surface 157 is so designed that the fingers 103 and 105separate only afterrtheir leading ends have passed over the edge por- Ations of the Wrapping material, and in this manner prevents any tendency ,for the Vlower finger 105 to engage with the wrapper edge. While the above description has been limited to one of the grippers 101, it will beV understood that the remaining grippers are actuated in asimilar manner'by structure corresponding toth'at described.

As the grippers 101 approachthe terminal portion of their inwardV swing, one of the grippers,ras for example the forward gripper, shown at. the left sideof Figure 7, engages with a microswitch V159.1Which is electrically connected to'a solenoid 160 suspended from'the'panel 15.

Y The plunger 161 ofthe solenoidl 160 is ,pivotally connected at 163 tovvone arm 165 ofa pair of cooperating arms 165 and 167. At their adjacent ends, the arms Y165 and 167 are provided with meshing pinion gears 168,

which in turn are rotatably mounted betweenthe brackets g 169 supported on the panel 15. The free ends of the in Figure v8.

arms and 167 carry stop plates 170 whichare adapted to be projected upwardly through the notches 171 formed in theV platform'Zl adjacent the wrapping table 37. Thus, as the solenoid 160 is energized the plunger 161 is elevated causing the arms 165 and 167 to pivot upwardly and urge the stop plates 170 above'the surfaces ofthe table 37. In their elevatedl position, the stop plates 170 raise the Wrapper material' 45 above the surface of the platform 21 to enable the operator to more easily grasp the same, and also serve as abutments against which the package may, be pressedV during the initial manual wrapping step. Y Y

, At this point in the wrapping procedure,rthe various parts of the apparatus have assumed positions .as shown The second yphase. of the wrapping -procedure is initiated by the operator depressing thefswitch 95,V therebyv energizing the solenoid V89 and allowing the clutch plate 81 to make one complete revolution after which it is stopped by the plunger 83. As heretofore explained, the single revolution of the clutch plate 81 causes the shaft 55 to move through one-third of a revolution, which in turn actuates ers 173 to pleat the package at its corners.

The tuckers each included a U-shaped member 175 carrying a weight 176 at one end, while its opposite end is secured to a shaft 177 passing through suitable openings in the platform 21 and the panel 15. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the weight 176 of each tucker 173 is fixed to one end of an arm 178 which is connected to the member 175 by a pair of bolts 179. Springs 180 are interposed between the arms 178 and the heads of the bolts 179 to allow the weights to move relative to their respective member 175 with a resilient action for purposes as hereinafter described. The lower ends of the shafts 177 are provided with bevel gears 181 which mesh with similar bevel gears 183 fixed to the ends of the shafts 185 and 187. As seen in Figures 1 and 2, the shafts 185 and 187 extend transversely of the apparatus and are rotatably supported below the panel by suitable bearing blocks. Thrust bearings 189, see Figure 2, are secured to each of the shafts 177 and restrict their movement in an axial direction. In a manner similar to the shafts 125 and 127, the shafts 185 and 187 are interconnected by a shaft 191 and the cooperating bevel gears 193 and 195.

Movement is imparted to the shaft 185 by a link 197 and a bell crank lever 199, the latter of which is rotatably carried on the shaft 135. One arm of the lever 199 carries a roller 201 which rides along the eccentric periphery of a plate cam 203 fixed to the shaft 55, while the other end of the lever 199 is pivotally secured at 205 to the bifurcated end of the link 197. The opposite end of the link 197 is fixed to the shaft 185, and thus the rocking movement of the bell crank lever 199, as determined by the cam 203, is simultaneously transmitted to the tuckers urging the same between the fingers 103 and 105 to effect the wrapper pleating as shown in Figure 9. The cam 3 is so designed as to cause the tuckers to swing inwardly between the ngers 103 and 105 and return to their initial starting position with a snap action. To assist in accomplishing this result, the shaft 187 is weighted, as shown at 207, to urge the same in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figure 4.

Simultaneously with the movement of the truckers 173 to their initial starting position, plate cams 209 cause the cooperating fingers 103 and 105 of each of the grippers to move toward the `wrapper pleats and grip the same therebetween, while plate cams 211 initiate a downward movement of end folder plates 213. The cams 209 are fixed to the opposite ends of the shaft 55 with their eccentric peripheries being engaged by rollers 215, each carried by one arm of the bell crank levers 217. The levers 217, as shown in Figure 4, are rotatably mounted on the shaft 135 and have their other arms each secured to the ends of link chains 219, which in turn are connected at their opposite ends to pull plates 221 slidably mounted within suitable aligned slots formed in the panel 15 and platform 21. The pull plates 221 project above the platform 21 and are each provided at their upper ends with an abutment plate 223 and a depresser bar 225, the latter of which overlies a pair of grippers 101 at each side of the apparatus. A compression spring 227 is interposed between each abutment plate 223 and the platform 21 and thus, -when not acted upon by the cams 209, the pull plates 221 and their depresser bars 225 remain in an elevated or inactive position. in a similar fashion and as shown in Figure 3, the plate cams 211 are fixed to the shaft 55 and are each engaged along their eccentric peripheries by rollers 229, each of which is carried by one arm of -bell crank levers 231. The levers 231 are rotatably mounted on the shaft 135 and have their other arms each secured to the ends of the link chains 6 233 which in turn are connected at their opposite ends to the cranks 235 fixed to the shaft 237. Sprockets V239, rotatably mounted on bearing plates 241, engage with the link chains 233 to effect their change in direction, as shown in Figure 3.

Since the folder'plates and the portion of their actuating means located above the platform 213 are the same in both structure and function, the following description will be limited to one of such folder plate arrangements for the sake of clarity. As seen in Figures 2-4, the end folder plate 213 is formed Vwith a pair of spaced bosses 243 between which is fixed a shaft 245. A pair of link arms 247 are pivotally connected at one end to the shaft 245 and have their opposite ends fixed to the shaft 237, which is free to rotate relative to bearing plates 249 projecting upwardly from the platform 21. A coiled spring 251 encircles the shafts 237, with one of its ends 253 hooked over the edge of the platform 21 while its opposite end 255 is fixed to the end of one of the link arms 247, as best shown in Figures l, 2 and 4. A second shaft 257 is mounted between the bearing plates 249 and is interconnected with the shaft 245 by a link 259. One end of the link 259 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 257 while its opposite end is pivotally connected at 261 to the arm 263 xed to the shaft 245.

As the cams 211 allow the rollers 229 to move inwardly toward the shaft 55, the link chains 233 become slack and both the weight of the end folder plates and their supporting structure and the resilient action of the coiled springs 251 urge the plates 213 into engagement with the wrapper 54. However, just prior to the engagement between the end folder plates with the wrapper, the plate cam 99 withdraws the grippers 101 from the paths of the folder plates 213 and returns the same to their original starting positions. It will be understood that the withdrawal action of the grippers causes its lingers 103 and 105 to merely slide olf the wrapper material engaged therebetween and thus in no way disturb the pleats.

Concomitantly with the downward movement of the folder plates 213, and preferably at the instant that the folder plates contact with the wrapper, the wrapping table 37 is depressed between the members 25 as shown in Figure 10. This simultaneous downward movement of the folder plates 213 and the wrapping table 37 effects a neat crease along both sides of the package as the side or edge portions of the wrapper are forced into a substantially vertical position by the inclined walls 27 of the members 25. Movement of the table 37 in a downward direction is accomplished rapidly or with a snap action by a plate cam 265 fixed to the shaft 55 (see Figure 5) and reacting against a roller 267 mounted on one arm of a bell crank'lever 269. The lever 269 is rotatably mounted on the shaft and has its other arm connected to one end of a link chain 271, which in turn is trained over and secured at 272 to a sprocket 273 fixed to the shaft 43. Thus, the rocking movement of the bell crank lever 269, as determined by the plate cam 265, is transmitted to the pinons 41 through the link chain 271 and the shaft 43 to cause the rack bars 39 to move downwardly against the resilient action of the springs 511.

In its lowered position, the table 37 lies substantially in the plane of a conveyor table 275 suitably supported above the panel 15 and having a pair of elongated slots 277 through which endless belts 279 project. The belts 279 are trained over the pulleys 281 xed to shafts 283 and 285, the latter of which is continuously driven by the motor 75 through a link chain 287 passing over suitable sprockets on the gear reducer 77 and the shaft 285. 'Fixed above the conveyor table 275 are a pair of angle bars 289, the horizontally disposed flanges of which are flared upwardly and outwardly at their forward ends as shown at 291 in Figure 1.

Once the package has been manipulated into its position shown in Figure 10, the operator merely slides the Ypackage from the table 37 onto the fcontinuously moving conveyor belts 279. During" the sliding `movement the s ideor edge 'portions'of the folded wrapper are Vgradually urged inwardly to a positionover the package itself by the inclined Walls, 31V of the members v25 and the flared portions 291 ofthe 'anglebars 289. To insure that the end portionsof vthe Wrapper/remainrcreased as they are pushedontothe belts 279,l the rear endsof the folder plates V213 Aextendbeyond `the inclined walls 31 of the members 25 and are gradually arched'toward each other` yto permit ,thesame move into their lowermost positions withoutpobstruction'. Whenemploying a wrapper formed conveyor `belts 279,'the packageisreceived onY plates 295, Y each hinged at 297 to its respective support bar 299'and esiliently urgedinto a horizontal position by a tensionV Y spring 301.

pa/ratus needs'merely to push the package downwardly An attendant at the rear end of the Vapto move the plates 295 Yinto a vertical position and allow the Vwrapped packageto drop into a carton ready for shipment or onto a belt 303 and be conveyed to aV collection station. lThe plates295 may of course be eliminatedfwithout departing from the scope orespirit of the invention. Y f

After'sliding the package onto the conveyor belts 279,Y

the operator merely actuates'the switch 95 causing the one-,revolution clutch to rotate the shaft 55 through its lastone-third of a revolution. With the nal movement of the shaft 55, the plate cam 265 is turned to a position in which the springs 51 are allowed to return theV table 37 to its elevated position while the cams 211 act to raise theY folder plates 213 into'their rest positions Y shown-Vin Figure 3'.

Brieily, in operating the apparatus described above, the operator rst lays a sheet of wrapping material 54 on thetable 37, afterlwhich the article to be wrapped isV placed on the wrapping material as shown by broken lines' in Figure 7; Whilefthe apparatus described has particular utility inV wrapping 'irregular shaped articles, such as folded wearing apparel, it can of course be employed withregular shaped Varticles with squally satisfactory re-i sultsl. Withthe motorl 75,V in operation, the operator actuates ,the switch 95 which in'turn energizes the solenoid 89 to retractV the plunger 83'and allow the motor to rotate the lclutch'plate 81 through one complete revolution before it is again. stopped bythe 'plunger 83. The movementof the yclutch'plate 81 in transmitted by the link chain 63 tothe shaft 55 which moves through onethirdiof a revolutionin view of the size ratio between the sprockets 61 and 6,7 heretofore described.

v'Fheinitial movement of Vthe shaft 55 causes the plate camA 99V to rock the lower arm of the bell crank lever 133 rearwardly,` asseenin Figure 3, which movement is transrnitt'edv through the link 131, shafts 125, 141, 127 -and V113 toV the Vgrippers 101. At the'start of their movement from their solid line positions to their broken line posi.

tions shown in Figure v2, the fingers 103 and 105 of each of'the gripperstare'in Contact with each other as shown by broken lines in Figure 6.Y Continued rotation of the stub` shaftsV 113 causes the'rollers 153 to ride along the eccentric surfaces 157 of the housings 111 thereby urging the Yfingers 103 and '105 intorspaced apart relationship after they'have moved past the edges of the wrapping material. Theopposite ends of the wrapping material Vare thenoverlapped bythe operator and secured, as shown at 305, with pressure sensitive tape or an Vadhesive toV form a flattened tube about the article, as shown in FigureY 8. Y*At this point, the parts are in positions Yas shown-in FigureV 8, andthe operator again actuates the switch to commenceV the secondfstage ofthe":vi/rappingY procedure.` j s As withl the rst actuationl ofthe switch' 95,"they onereyolution clutch 71ncausesthe shaft'SS torotate through the second one-third revolution of itsrmovemenhfDuring an `,early phase of thisY movement, the plate cam 203, acting 'through the bell crank'lever199linkr197, and shafts 185, 191, `137 and 177, simultaneously swings the tuckers 173 inwardly between the fingers 103`and 105 of the grippers 101L to pleat the `wrapper asfshowll'V in Figure 9. into and out Yfrom their positions shown in Figure 9 witha snap action, with both the shape ofthe cam`5203 and the weight V207 cooperating to achievelthisA desired movement. in view of the resilientY connection between the member andthe larm 178 of each of the tckers 173, any obstructions in the paths of they weights, ,such

as an irregularity inthe shape of thearticleitself, merely this arrangement, tearing ofthe wrapper or damage4 to the article or apparatus is avoided. Y

As the tuckers 173 move toward their outermost positions, the `cams 209 cause the link'chains 219 to-draw the pull plates 221 downwardly thereby engaging the abutment bars 225 against the upper finger 103l of each ofthe grippers 101. 'Ihis movement of the abutment bars 225 forces the ngers 103 and 105 of thegrippers 101V toward eachother Vwith theirfree ends pinching the pleated portions of the wrapper therebetween.

Near the terminal portion of the second one-third revolution of the shaft 55, the plate cams 211 allow the link chains 233 to becornerslack, thereby causingthe folder plates 213 toV move downwardly under their own weightY and Vthe resilient force exerted'by the springs 251. lust prior to engagement of the folder platesY 213 withthe wrapping material, the plate cam 99 imparts a turning movement to the stub shafts 113 for-'swinging the grippers 101 out ofthe path ofthe folder'plates 213 and to their outermost or rest position. At the instant -of contact of the folder plates 213 with the pleated wrapper, the `cam 265, acting through the chain 271 and pinions 41, causes the Wrapping table 37fto drop rapidly and simultaneously withY the downward movement of the end folder plates 213. `At this stagerthe parts fare [in positions as shownin Figurev 10, with the end portions of the wrapper kept neatly creased by the folder plates 213. It willl be noted thatV the springs 251 allow the folder plates 213 toresiliently yield in the event they encounter an obstruction or irregularity in the package. This feature not only prevents damage to the wrapper, article and apparatus, but in addition serves to protect the operator from accidental injury.

The operator now merely slides the package rearwardly onto the belts 279 with the inclined walls 31 of the member 25 and the ared portions291of the angle bars 289 serving toV gradually fold the wrapper endL portions over the package itself. Actual Vsealing of the wrapper end portions may be accomplished either by the heating element 293 when Iheat scalable Vwrapping materialris used yor by pressure sensitive tape as heretofore mentioned. The wrapped packagesl may be collected in cartons -ready for shipment or may be delivered by the conveyor 303 to a separate collection station.

To .return the parts of theapparatus into'their initial vstarting position, the/.switch 95 is again actuated causing the shaft 55 to move through its final one-third revolution Yduring which the cams 211 elevate the folderplates onto their uppermost position, while the: cam 265 rotates into an inefective position and allows the-springs As heretofore mentioned,th`e tuckersv move the above procedure is again repeated during the wrapping of subsequent articles` From the above description, it is seen that the apparatus provides a wrapped package neat in appearance regardless of the irregular shape of the article itself. Furthermore, the three actuations of the switch 95 to effect the various wrapper manipulations described offer the operator full control of the wrapping procedure and thus insure that the manual steps can be. carried out with ease and with dispatch.

It -is seen from the above description that the objects of the invention are well fulfilled by the apparatus described. The description is intended to be illustrative only and it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as dened by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. Article wrapping apparatus including a movable table on which a sheet of wrapping material is adapted to be disposed and manually manipulated to form a tube about an article to be wrapped, means for pleating the end portions of the wrapper material adjacent the article corners after the wrapper material has been manually shaped into a tube about the article, means for gripping the individual wrapper pleats, a pair of folder plates movable against the pleated portions of the wrapper material, stationary members disposed at opposite sides of said wrapping table, means -for engaging said folder plates against said pleated portions of the wrapper material, means for lowering said table between said stationary members, said folder plates and stationary members cooperating to crease the wrapping material along the end portions of `the -article as said table is lowered, and means for `folding the end portions of the wrapper material over the article itself.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said folding means includes a pair of laterally spaced angle members between which said wrapped article is adapted to travel, said angle members being flared in an outward direction at their leading ends to cause the wrapper end portions to be gradually and progressively folded to a position over the article as the article is moved therebetween.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim l further including a conveyor disposed in substantially coplanar relationship with the surface of said table in its lowermost position and adapted to receive the articles therefrom.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 further including means lfor heat sealing the folded portions of the wrapper material in place.

5. Article wrapping apparatus including a table on which a sheet of wrapping material and an article to be wrapped are adapted to be disposed, pairs of gripping fingers, means for moving said pairs of gripping fingers between a rest position to a position over said table and adjacent to the article to be wrapped, means for moving the fingers of each pair of fingers into spaced apart relationship as they approach the terminal portion of their movement over said table, a tucker adapted lto enter between each pair of spaced apart fingers for pleating the wrapping ymaterial therebetween after the same has been manipulated to form a tube about the article to be wrapped, means for moving said tuckers to and from said pleating position, means for moving the fingers of each pair of fingers toward each other concomitantly with the movement of said tuckers from their pleating position to grip the individual pleats therebetween, folder plates movable into engagement with the pleated portions of said wrapping material for creasing the same along each side of the article, and means for folding the end portions of the wrapping material over the article itself.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 further including a pair of stop plates disposed adjacent to one side of said table and adapted to be projected above the surface thereof, said stop plates providing abutments against which the article may be engaged as the wrapper material is manipulated to form a tube about the article, and means actuated by said gripping fingers for projecting said stop plates.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said gripping ngers are mounted for rotary movement from and toward said rest position, and said second-mentioned means including a cam surface adapted to urge the fingers of each pair of fingers into spaced apart relationship as they rotate away from their rest position.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said means for moving the fingers of each pair of fingers toward each other to grip the pleats therebetween includes a pair of depressor bars, each positioned at opposite sides of said table, and means for urging said depressor bars into engagement with the respective gripping fingers.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 8 further including an operating shaft, means for intermittently moving said shaft through individual arcuate movements, and cams carried by said shaft and operatively connected with said gripping fingers, tuckers, depressor bars, and folder plates for sequentially actuating the same.

l0. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 further including link means supporting each of said folder plates and adapted to maintain the folder plates in planes disposed at substantially right angles to the plane of the wrapping material.

1l. Apparatus as dened in claim l0 wherein said link means and folder plates are urged into engagement with the article wrapper by resilient means which permit the plates and link means to yieldably adjust themselves to irregularities in the wrapped article.

l2. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 further including stationary members disposed along opposite sides of said table, and means for lowering said table between said stationary members concomitantly with the movement of said folder plates against the pleated portions of the package wrapper, said stationary members and folder plates together cooperating to crease the pleated portions of the wrapper material and partially fold the end portions of the same over the article itself.

13. Article wrapping apparatus including a reciprocable table on which a sheet material is adapted to be disposed and manually manipulated to form a tube about an article to be wrapped, a plurality of pairs of fingers, means for moving said pairs of fingers toward and away from an operative position above said table and adjacent the article corners, means for moving the fingers of each pair of fingers into spaced apart relationship as they approach their operative position, a plurality of tuckers, means for moving said tuckers toward and away from an operative position between said spaced fingers for pleating the article Wrapper adjacent the article corners after the wrapper has been formed into a tube about said article, means for moving the fingers of each pair of fingers toward each other for gripping the pleated portions of the wrapper therebetween as said tuckers move away from their operative position, a pair of folder plates, means for moving said folder plates into engagement with the pleated portions of the article wrapper as said fingers are moved away from their operative position, a pair of stationary members disposed at opposite sides of said table, means for lowering said table between said stationary members concomitantly with the movement of said folder plates to effect a creasing of the pleated portions of the article wrapper at opposite ends thereof, a conveyor disposed in coplanar relationship with said table in its lowermost position for receiving the article thereon, and means positioned adjacent said table and above said conveyor for urging the pleated end portions of the article wrapper over the article itself.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 13 further including means for sealing the pleated end portions of the wrapper in their positions over the article.

moving ther iingers of each pair of fingers into spaced Y apart relationship as they approach their'op'erativetpositionfa'plurality of tuckers, means for swinging said tuckers toward and away'V from an operative position between said Yspaced fingers for pleating the article Vwrapper adjacent the article corners after theV wrapper has been formed into aV tube about Vthe article, va bar Ydisposed at opposite sides of said table, means for moving said bars into engagement with the adjacent pairs of fingers to causeV the ngers of each pair of ngers YtoV mo've'toward each other and gripthe pleated portions of the wrapper therebetween Vas said tuckers move away from theirroperative position, atpairof folderrplates, rneansio moving saidfolder'plates into engagement with'thepleated portions of the Yarticle wrapper as the ngers are moved awayfromtheir operative position, a pair Vof stationary members disposed at opposite sides ofsaid table, means for lowering'said table between said stationaryfmembers concomitantly with the mov`e.

Y' thereof, a'conveyor disposed in coplanar relationship with said table Vin its lowermost position'for receiving aaadee the article thereon, yand a pairv of` laterally spaced angle Y members between which said wrapped article adapted to travel, said angle members being disposedfabove said conveyor and having their leading ends flared in an outward direction so as t cause the wrapperfend portions to be gradually'and progressively folded to a position over the article as the article is moved therebetween.

16. Apparatus forfwrapping articles about which a tubular shaped wrapper is disposed including a table for supporting the article'to be Wrapped, means for pleating the end portionsY of the 'wrapper adjacent to the article corners, a pair of foldervr plates, means for moving the folder plates against the wrapper adjacent to-the pleated end portions thereo'stationary members disposed along opposite sides of said table and extending substantially parallel to lsaid folder plates,fmeans for lowering said table between said stationary members, said folderplates and stationary members cooperating to crease the wrapper along the end portions of the article`A as vsaid table is lowered, and means for folding the end Yportions of the wrapper over the' article itself. Y f

References Cited in the-ie ofthis patent UNITED VVSTATES` PATENTS Piazze Apr. 27, 

